The United States officially designated Brazil's two largest criminal organizations, Comando Vermelho (CV) and Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), as terrorist organizations on May 28 or 29, 2026 [1, 2, 3]. The designation classifies the groups as "Specially Designated Global Terrorists," with a formal designation as Foreign Terrorist Organizations set to take effect on June 5, 2026 [3].
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described CV and PCC as "two of the most violent criminal organisations in Brazil." He said, "Their influence and illicit networks extend far beyond Brazil’s borders, across our region and into our country. Together, they command thousands of members and have orchestrated brutal attacks against Brazilian police officers, public officials and civilians" [1]. The groups operate transnationally, extending their reach across the Americas including the United States [1, 2, 3]. The estimated combined membership of PCC and CV exceeds 50,000 people [3].
The US began designating Latin American gangs such as Mexican drug cartels and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua as terrorist groups under the Trump administration starting in January 2025 [1, 2]. The May 2026 designation of PCC and CV follows this pattern of targeting major regional criminal networks.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva opposes the US designation. Brazilian officials fear legal complications and the possibility of US military intervention in Brazil as a result [1, 2, 4]. In contrast, conservative presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro strongly supports the designation. Bolsonaro met with US President Donald Trump on May 26, 2026, to request CV and PCC be designated terrorists. Bolsonaro said, "I went specifically to ask him to designate the CV and PCC as terrorist organizations, because that's what they are," and said of Lula, "Lula goes on his knees, crawling, to beg the US president Trump. I do the opposite" [4, 3]. Bolsonaro has pledged that if elected president, Brazil will join Trump's security alliance for the Americas [4, 3].
The designation as Foreign Terrorist Organizations will take effect on June 5, 2026 [3]. This step formalizes the US government's position that PCC and CV are terrorist entities with expanded legal and financial penalties beginning that day.
